Beer Braised Pulled Chicken Tacos
These tacos feature slow cooked chicken braised in beer and finished with adobo sauce all layered with spicy coleslaw and guacamole.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 450kcal
Ingredients
Beer Braised Chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ancho powder
- 1 pinch chipotle powder, or cayenne powder
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp lime juice, divided
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 bottle beer
- 4 tbsp adobo sauce, from a can of chipotles in adobo
Guacamole
- 2 avocados
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
1 recipe Spicy Jalapeno and Lime Coleslaw
10 taco size flour tortillas
Instructions
- Put chicken, all spices, garlic, oregano, 1 tbsp lime juice, orange juice and beer into a slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to 6 hours on low.
- When the chicken is done, scoop it out of the braising liquid with a slotted spoon and into a medium bowl. (The recipe can be made to this point up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate both the chicken and the liquid until you are ready to use them. This is also an excellent way to reduce the fat since it will solidify and can be removed before you reduce the liquid.)
- Using two forks or your fingers, shred the chicken.
- Pour the liquid into a medium sauce pan or saucier and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stirring occasionally, reduce the liquid until it is very thick and starting to stick a bit to the bottom of the pan, about 8-9 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat; add the adobo sauce and 1 tbsp of lime juice. Stir that into the reduced liquid and then toss the shredded chicken with sauce until it's well combined.
- While the sauce is reducing, make the Spicy Jalapeno and Lime Coleslaw.
- Then make the guacamole. Halve the avocados and scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork and then add the lime juice and salt and mix it all together.
- To serve, spread a layer of guacamole on the bottom of each tortilla. Top with braised chicken and then with spicy coleslaw.
Notes
- I used an Oktoberfest beer to make this dish, since it's my favorite and it's available this time of year. However, I know it won't be available soon so I have a few other suggestions. First of all, I wouldn't use an IPA or similar style since you want a beer with some sweetness and malty flavors if possible. I would use a red ale or a brown ale or a brown lager. I think each of these would compliment the flavors of the dish the best.
- If you don't like too much spice, reduce the adobo to 2-3 tbsp, tasting the dish to see if it's hot enough yet. On the other hand, if you like it really spicy, the adobo is mixed with chipotles so add a diced chipotle to the mix.
- Spicy Jalapeno and Lime Coleslaw
- Calories are for chicken and guacamole. Calories are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 450kcal